Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) will hold the China Children’s Week 2017 – Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing Competition on 7 May 2017 (Sunday) at Central Lawn, Nursery Park, West Kowloon Cultural District, Kowloon. The competition to be held one week before Mother’s Day will raise funds for UNICEF’s ‘Cash Transfers for Deprived Children‘ (CCT) Project in China, which will be dedicated to giving a good start in life for every child by improving the maternal and child health services in China.

Although families from remote and deprived areas are now entitled to free hospital delivery and healthcare services, suspension of work and high travelling costs make them reluctant to access these services and lead to high maternal and neonatal mortality rates. Since 2013, UNICEF HK has allocated the funds raised in China Children’s Week to the CCT project launched by UNICEF in 15 counties in Yunnan, Gansu and Sichuan. Through the initiative, women from underprivileged families will receive cash subsidies, enabling their access to prenatal and postnatal checkups, hospital delivery and vaccinations for their babies. By 26 January 2017, a total of 16,806 women and children under 1 year old have been benefitted from this project.

By joining the Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing Competition, children can celebrate an early Mother’s Day. While expressing their love to mothers in the drawings, these little artists can also raise funds for mothers and children in rural China, championing the spirit of ‘kids helping kids’. UNICEF sincerely invites all little artists aged 12 or below to participate in this meaningful fundraising event for CCT Project, ensuring a healthy good start for children.

Date: Sunday, 7 May 2017

Time: 12 – 6pm

Place: Central Lawn, Nursery Park, West Kowloon Cultural District, Kowloon (Carnival will be set up in Sunset Lawn)

This competition is open for children who are 12 or under.
There are 3 age groupsGroup A: 6 years old or under (Born in 2011 or after)Group B: 7-9 years old (Born between 2008 and 2010)Group C: 10-12 years old (Born between 2005 and 2007)Awards: 1st Prize, 2nd Prize, 3rd Prize and 20 Consolation Prizes for each age group;
Most Popular Award (online voting);
Overall Champion;
All participants will receive a certificate of participation.
The 3 organization with most participants will receive a certificate.

7 April 2017 (Friday) Deadline for submission of printed application form21 April 2017 (Friday) Deadline for online applicationLate April 2017 Confirmation emails to all applications, this email will be used for registration on event day7 May 2017 (Sunday) China Children’s Week 2017 – Little Artists Big Dreams Drawing CompetitionTo be announced Official results and prize collection announcements on the website

About UNICEF: UNICEF promotes the rights and well-being of every child, in everything they do. Together with their partners, they work in 190 countries and territories to translate that commitment into practical action, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, to the benefit of all children, everywhere.

UNICEF believes all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfill their potential – to the benefit of a better world.

UNICEF is a leading humanitarian and development agency working globally for the rights of every child. Child rights begin with safe shelter, nutrition, protection from disaster and conflict and traverse the life cycle: pre-natal care for healthy births, clean water and sanitation, health care and education.

UNICEF has spent nearly 70 years working to improve the lives of children and their families. Working with and for children through adolescence and into adulthood requires a global presence whose goal is to produce results and monitor their effects. UNICEF also lobbies and partners with leaders, thinkers and policy makers to help all children realize their rights—especially the most disadvantaged.

Hurricane Matthew — the strongest Caribbean storm in a decade — has swept through Haiti last week. Struggling to recover from the destruction caused by the earthquake and cholera outbreak in 2010, the country is now threatened by Hurricane Matthew, with an estimated of at least 77,000 houses destroyed or damaged, 99,000 families affected and over 4 million children at risk.

“The roofs and tree branches flew away. Water started coming in, things were flying everywhere… no one could get hold of them, ” explains 13-year-old Dicejour Gelin, whose house was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.

UNICEF teams are at a race against time to save lives. Tons of humanitarian supplies, including drinking water, mobile water bladders and purification tablets, and basic medical and health supplies are on the way to affected areas.

Alarm over the outbreak of choleraCholera has killed nearly 10,000 people in Haiti since the earthquake in 2010. The aftermath of the hurricane, combined with the start of the rainy season and poor sanitation coverage, will only exacerbate the risk of diseases. So, UNICEF‘s first priority is ensuring access to safe and clean drinking water. UNICEF’s specialists for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene are now working with the Haitian government and partners to fight water-borne diseases, including cholera, diarrhoea, malaria and worm infestations.

In times of disaster, children are the most vulnerable. UNICEF urgently need your support to help deliver lifesaving essentials and give them access to clean water, proper nutrition and safe shelter. Donate NOW to help children survive from the disaster by clicking on this link!

About UNICEF Hong Kong:The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) was founded in 1986 and was established as an independent local non-government organization to raise funds through public donations, partnerships with companies, special events, etc. to support UNICEF’s work. UNICEF HK also promotes and advocates for children’s rights via organizing education and youth programmes in Hong Kong.

Rate this:

UNICEF Charity Run, organized by the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) and supported by the Hong Kong Amateur Athletic Association (HKAAA), is marching toward its 11th anniversary. Based on a decade of successful experiences, the Charity Run will be held again at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Lantau Island. It is not only an annual flagship fundraising event for UNICEF HK, but also the second largest long-distance running event in Hong Kong, as recognized by AIMS and HKAAA, judging from its participant number.

With the support of over 98,000 participants and donors’ generous contributions since 2006, the Charity Run has raised more than HK$95.5 million to support UNICEF’s ‘Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS’ global campaign in developing countries, aiming to eliminate the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Date: Sunday, 27 November 2016

Time: Depending on distance and group, start times will vary. Please visit their event page for more information.

Enrolment deadline: 7 October 2016 (Friday). To enroll please fo to their website.

Space is limited. Enrolment is on a first-come-first-served basis. The Organizer reserves the right to close entries before the deadline without prior notice. An announcement will be made on their website when the quota is full. Enrolment will be confirmed immediately once an online payment is completed successfully. Please finish the application within 45 minutes.

About UNICEF: UNICEF promotes the rights and wellbeing of every child, in everything they do. Together with their partners, they work in 190 countries and territories in order to translate that commitment into practical actions, focusing special effort on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded children, for the benefit of all children, everywhere.

The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) was founded in 1986 and was established as an independent local non-government organization to raise funds through public donations, partnerships with companies, special events, etc. to support UNICEF‘s works. UNICEF HK also promotes and advocates for children’s rights through organizing education and youth programmes in Hong Kong. Learn more from UNICEF HK.

Rate this:

Since 2012, the Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) has been organizing Make A Video to encourage youth to express their views through over 200 videos. This year, co-organized by Hong Kong Arts Centre ifva and fully supported by Hang Seng Bank, the project will invite Hong Kong youngsters to share their challenges and turn their life stories into one-minute videos. By creating one-minute video of their own, UNICEF HK encourages children and youth to share their anxieties, concerns and viewpoints with the society, to showcase the idea of ‘A minute in the telling, A quarter for listening’. Thus, they hope to enhance the public’s understanding towards children and youth, as well as parent-child communication. A public screening will be arranged for winning videos.

Details of contest:Theme: To mom & dadCategories:
– Junior Secondary School Category (Form 1 to Form 3)
– Senior Secondary School Category (Form 4 to Form 6)Requirements:
* Individuals must be students aged 12-17 (As of 21 August 2016)
* Only individual entries will be considered
* Individuals can only register for one category and submit one piece of video work

*Awardees or invited entrants are required to submit the winning video in MOV (ProRes 422 or H.264, 25P FPS) format for future screening purposes. Entrants are required to retain all production files until the contest ends.

Prizes:
Each category will have the following awards
– The Young Creative Award
– The Most Representative Video Story Award
– The Most Influential Award
– The Best One-minute Video

All entrants will be awarded a certificate of participation once entries are confirmed. A public screening will be arranged for winning videos.

For more information about the contest, and to register, please go to their website.

About UNICEF Hong Kong:The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK) was founded in 1986 and was established as an independent local non-government organization to raise funds through public donations, partnerships with companies, special events, etc. to support UNICEF’s work. UNICEF HK also promotes and advocates for children’s rights via organizing education and youth programmes in Hong Kong.

Earthquakes have struck around the world recently. Ecuador’s quake is the country’s worst disaster in decades. And the death toll keeps climbing. At least 150,000 children are affected by the April 15 earthquake in Ecuador, according to initial UNICEF estimates.

“We are in a race against time to protect children from disease and other risks common in such emergencies,” said Grant Leaity, UNICEF Representative in Ecuador.

According to preliminary government reports, the earthquake damaged 119 schools, affecting 88,000 children. Some 805 buildings have been destroyed and 608 have been damaged. Two hospitals have entirely collapsed in Portoviejo and Chone.

In some of the worst hit areas, mudslides are causing further damage to infrastructure and hindering access of relief teams and supplies. Some cities are still without full power and only 40 per cent of communication lines are working.

UNICEF is concerned about health, water and sanitation conditions in the coastal areas – which are already considered hotspots for Zika, Dengue, Malaria and Chikungunya.

UNICEF teams are in Pedernales and Esmeraldas, two of the hardest hit areas, assessing children’s needs and coordinating the response.

In a country where UNICEF has been active the past 40 years, they have just delivered water purification tablets (20,000), mosquito nets (4,500) and tarpaulin to Pedernales, the area worst affected by the earthquake and our staff is on the ground evaluating the extent of the disaster.

Your donation means that UNICEF can :
– deliver lifesaving essentials – such as water purification tablets, soap, buckets and tents – right now;
– establish Child Friendly Spaces (CFS). These provide community-based services for affected children, including socio-psychological support, play, recreation, and health communication from a professional team of experts on early childhood development and social work;
– after the disaster, we focus on helping children get their life back to normal as soon as possible. We take part in rebuilding and reconstruction work and ensure children have access to a safe place, nutritious food, clean water and education.

About UNICEF:
Founded in 1946, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the world’s leading United Nations organisation working specifically for children, with the mandate and influence to transform their lives. The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK), one of the 36 National Committees, was founded in 1986 to raise funds to support UNICEF’s work worldwide and to promote, advocate for child rights in Hong Kong. They believe their work is not completed until all champion for child rights to achieve four Zero Sufferings for children.ZERO Mortality ⇔ Right to Survival
Every child has the right to enjoy food, clean water, health services and a standard of living, etc. adequate for survival
ZERO Underdevelopment ⇔ Right to Development
Every child has the right to education, leisure, participation in cultural activities and understanding their basic rights, etc.

ZERO Abuse ⇔ Right to Protection
Every child has the right to special protection in situations of armed conflict or conflict with the law, and should be protected from any forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation

ZERO Isolation ⇔ Right to Participation
Every child has the right to freedom of expression; social, economic, cultural and religion activities; association and peaceful assembly; information from diverse sources

Rate this:

A 7.8 magnitude quake struck an area of central Nepal between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara on Saturday morning. Although the extent of the damages is still unknown, initial reports say houses and buildings collapsed in Kathmandu and surrounding areas. Tremors were also strongly felt in northern India, in the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Rescue efforts in Nepal are intensifying after more than 1,800 people were killed in the country’s worst earthquake in more than 80 years. Many countries and international charities have offered aid to Nepal to deal with the disaster. Help by making a donation. Some of these charities who are already actively involved in the disaster include:

“As the sheer devastation of the recent earthquake becomes clearer, we know that children have been the most affected by this disaster,” says Roger Hodgson, Deputy Country Director for Save the Children in Nepal. “Despite the difficulties in reaching some of the hardest-hit regions, Save the Children is mobilising much-needed items to help these children and their families. Helping those most affected by this disaster will continue to be our top priority in the coming days, weeks and months.”

To assist those displaced by the quake, the charity has begun the delivery of 136 tarpaulins in Kathmandu, while in the earthquake-affected Bhaktapur district, 180 baby packs – which include children’s clothes, blankets and soap – are being distributed to those in need. Save the Children will also begin distributing many more items to some of the hardest-hit regions outside Kathmandu Valley, including Gorkha and Sindhupalchowk districts.

The charity has launched a fundraising campaign with the goal of raising 50 million USD to assist with its aid efforts. To donate, please follow this link

MSF
A second earthquake today hit Nepal, this time with an epicentre 80km east of Kathmandu, in Dolakha district. Teams from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are conducting assessments in the affected areas, including Dolakha itself. In the Charikot area of Dolakha district they have seen villages destroyed by this second quake.

An additional MSF team is conducting an assessment by car in Bhaktapur, east of Kathmandu, while other MSF medical teams have divided and are visiting various hospitals in Kathmandu ready to intervene immediately if necessary.

This comes as the Nepali population struggles to recover from the loss of life and substantial damage that followed the earthquake of 25th April in which over 8,000 people died.

“This complicates an already precarious situation. There is going to be more trouble accessing the affected areas. MSF is strengthening its emergency operations and re-assessing the needs of those affected by the current earthquake in order to respond accordingly and immediately,” says, Dan Sermand, MSF’s Country Director in Nepal.

For the last two weeks, MSF teams have been providing medical assistance and distributing food and shelter to remote areas impacted by the previous earthquake. MSF has also set-up an inflatable hospital in Arughat in Gorkha district, which is running and serving the population affected by that previous disaster.

Red CrossHong Kong Red Cross has immediately mobilized HKD 500,000 to provide immediate relief and welcome donations from public to support the revealing humanitarian needs.Red Cross Actions
Immediately after the shock, Nepal Red Cross Society has been working on the ground for rapid needs assessment and providing immediate relief to those affected, including:
– Search and rescue in the rubbles, first aid services to the wounded
– Red Cross blood bank providing blood supplies to the main medical facilities in Kathmandu
– Setting up tents to shelter affected population
– Emergency tracing services to assist families who lost contact because of the quakes
– International Red Cross mobilized over HKD 4 million to support relief actions, and assessment teams arriving Nepal to coordinate the operation

OxfamOxfam’s team in Nepal is assessing humanitarian need following the devastating earthquake. In addition a team of technical experts are preparing to fly from the UK with supplies to provide clean water, sanitation and emergency food supplies.

Cecilia Keizer, Oxfam country director in Nepal said:
“Communication is currently very difficult. Telephone lines are down and the electricity has been cut off making charging mobile phones difficult. The water is also cut off. The number of people killed is continuing to rise. Many of the old houses have been destroyed and at least one large apartment block has come down in Kathmandu. Given the closeness to the epicentre Pokhara must also be badly affected. Oxfam is preparing to help provide clean water and emergency food. People are gathered in their thousands in open spaces and are scared as there have been several aftershocks.”

To make a donation to help with their immediate work in Nepal, please visit their website.

UNICEFUNICEF has teams on the ground in every affected district. Their focus is now on how children may have been impacted by this new earthquake. The quake follows the 25 April earthquake that left more than 8,000 dead, thousands more injured and 1.7 million children in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.

You can imagine what must have happened in those hillsides that were ravaged by the quake the last time, or how this quake will not only damage the buildings that were already cracked, but the impact it will have on the already frightened and vulnerable children and young people. Read an eyewitness account from a UNICEF staff member

UNICEF has been working round the clock to get life-saving aid to children since the first quake hit. And your donations can help them deliver urgent essentials — like safe drinking water, adequate sanitation facilities, tents and medical supplies. With your support, UNICEF can provide vital counseling and child-friendly spaces to help children come to terms with their traumatic experiences.

UNICEF will do everything possible to keep children safe. But with the massive damage, they urgently need your help.

To make a donation to UNICEF to support their Nepal Earthquake Response, please follow this link.

World VisionWorld Vision Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Officer Kevin Chiu says, “World Vision has been working in Nepal for over 30 years, and more than 200 local staff are ready to join the relief efforts on the ground. Water and power ran out in affected areas, and communications are disrupted. Millions of people have lost their homes and in dire need of food, water, shelter, warm clothing and hygiene kits. They need our help urgently!”

World Vision Hong Kong has initially contributed HK$1.56 million to provide help to the quake-stricken people. Together with other donations, it will bring help, such as hygiene kits and emergency aids to survivors, and set up Child Friendly Spaces to release the emotional distress of children; which is estimated to help 50,000 people. Their local staff are assessing the impact of the quake and are ready to respond to the needs of the affected. World Vision commits its full effort to help the affected children and families amid emergency to rebuild their homes. To donate to World Vision, please follow this link.

This blog will be updated as and when more information regarding rescue efforts come in.

At least half of the population of Vanuatu, 132,000 people including nearly 60,000 children need urgent assistance now!

UNICEF staff members working in the field office in Port Vila, despite being themselves affected, are working with partners to offer support, including the provision of water containers, purification tablets, soap, and temporary sanitation facilities. Besides, UNICEF is securing warehouse and supporting immediate repairs to the national immunization cold room. UNICEF also assists in coordinating a suitable measles vaccination campaign following the cyclone.

As schools are being used as evacuation centres, UNICEF will also support children’s education, including providing school-in-a-box kits, and protect children by setting up child friendly spaces in evacuation centres.

How you can help:
HK$1,500 – provides 7 first aid kits to treat the injured children
HK$2,850 – provides 2 basic family water kits to enable children to drink and wash safely
HK$4,200 – provides 3 sets of school-in-a-box kit, which is a ready-made education solution, used in emergencies and each can benefit 80 students

Your support can save lives. UNICEF appeals for at least HK$23.4 million (US$3 million) to support their relief work in Vanuatu. Donate NOW!

About UNICEF:
Founded in 1946, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is the world’s leading United Nations organisation working specifically for children, with the mandate and influence to transform their lives. The Hong Kong Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF HK), one of the 36 National Committees, was founded in 1986 to raise funds to support UNICEF’s work worldwide and to promote, advocate for child rights in Hong Kong. They believe their work is not completed until all champion for child rights to achieve four Zero Sufferings for children.ZERO Mortality ⇔ Right to Survival
Every child has the right to enjoy food, clean water, health services and a standard of living, etc. adequate for survival
ZERO Underdevelopment ⇔ Right to Development
Every child has the right to education, leisure, participation in cultural activities and understanding their basic rights, etc.

ZERO Abuse ⇔ Right to Protection
Every child has the right to special protection in situations of armed conflict or conflict with the law, and should be protected from any forms of abuse, neglect or exploitation

ZERO Isolation ⇔ Right to Participation
Every child has the right to freedom of expression; social, economic, cultural and religion activities; association and peaceful assembly; information from diverse sources

Rate this:

Subscribe to Volunteering in Hong Kong

Would you like to know more about volunteer opportunities in Hong Kong as they come up? Enter your email address below and click to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Just remember, the aim of this blog is only to bring opportunities to your attention. If you want to volunteer, you need to reach out to the organisations profiled.